A century of Dutch neurology

The Netherlands Society of Neurology evolved from the Society of Psychiatry founded in 1871. The name was changed into Netherlands Society of Psychiat ry and Neurology (NSPN) in 1897. In the same year, the word neurology was a lso added to the name of the journal. The Society steadily blossomed, but i n 1909 the first signs of dissatisfaction occurred: the Amsterdam Neurologi sts Society was founded. A few split-offs would follow. The number of membe rs of the NSPN increased from 205 in 1920 to 585 in 1960. In the early 1960 s, the Society was reorganised and would consist of two sections, one for p sychiatry and one for neurolog. However, this would not last, as a full sep aration was established in 1974. For several reasons, the name of the journ al was changed four times until it assumed its present name in 1974. The 10 0th volume of CNN was not published, as expected, in 1996, but in 1998, bec ause of two skipped publication years, one during WWII and another in the 1 970s. During the last decades of the nineteenth century, teaching of neurol ogy was mostly given within the frame of psychiatry, following the German t radition of 'brainpsychiatry' (organic or biologic psychiatry). The first o fficial chair of psychiatry was founded at Utrecht, 1893 (Winkler). In Amst erdam, private teachers such as Delprat taught 'electro-therapy and nervous diseases' since the 1880s. The first extraordinary chair of neurology and electrotherapy was founded for his successor, Wertheim Salomonson in 1899. The first university clinic for psychiatry and neurology started at the Ams terdam Municipal University, when Winkler became professor of psychiatry an d neurology in Amsterdam in 1896. Around the turn of the century, chairs of psychiatry and neurology were also founded in Groningen and Leiden. Separa te chairs for neurology and psychiatry appeared in Amsterdam in 1923 and in Utrecht in 1936. Following an initiative of Brouwer, the first neurologica l university clinic opened its doors in Amsterdam in 1929. In the 20th cent ury, a number specialised peripheral neurological clinics and epilepsy inst itutes were founded. In 1909, the the Central Institute for Brain Research was established in Amsterdam. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.